SMU sent a mass email to students this morning warning of an alleged sexual assault that took place this weekend on campus.

On Sunday a female SMU student reported being attacked at the Kappa Sigma House, 3022 SMU Blvd, at around 1:45 a.m. She claimed her attacker was another SMU student.

The SMU Police Department is now investigating the alleged assault.

SMU Police Chief Rick Shafer said the student was allegedly attacked at the Kappa Sigma house by another student.

“There was no weapon involved and the student has been to the hospital,” said Shafer.

Shafer did not say if the alleged attacker was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

In an emailed response to The Daily Mustang, Kappa Sigma President Mario Quinones wrote this statement: “The situation is as alarming to us as it is to anyone else. Kappa Sigma does not condone this type of behavior and we will be working hard to assist SMU in whatever way possible with this investigation.”

Shafer also said this is the first sexual assault to take place on campus this semester.

Along with the SMU Police’s personal safety facts he offers advice on how to avoid an attack.

“Be aware of your surroundings and be with friends,” said Shafer.

If you have any information about this matter, contact the SMU Police Department at 214-768-3388. You can report a crime anonymously by calling 214-SMU-2TIP or online.

More than a month after his arrest for criminal trespassing on the SMU campus, The Dallas Morning News has published some of the alleged misconduct which led the university to issue a trespass warning against local businessman Lee William “Bill” McNutt III in the first place.

The newspaper cites allegations from anonymous female students and their parents that McNutt made them uncomfortable with invitations to dinner parties where liquor and personal massages were offered.

McNutt, a University Park resident and SMU alumnus, was issued a criminal trespass warning by the university on Nov. 7, 2008, though he informed Police Chief Richard A. Shafer that he would be attending basketball games on campus the following January.

That month, according to the Morning News, Shafer wrote back, in part, “The Criminal Trespass Warning is not a request for you to let me know of events you wish to attend on campus; it is a warning to you in accordance with SMU policy on trespassing that you are not welcome on the SMU campus for any reason whatsoever.”

Two SMU officers arrested the 54-year-old McNutt Feb. 15 in a workout room at Ford Stadium, and he was later released on $500 bond.

Less than two weeks after the arrest was made public, the Morning News reported that McNutt quit his post as a deacon at Highland Park Presbyterian Church

The McNutt family is best known for the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, though Bill is not a member of the board, as had previously been reported.

His sister, Katherine McNutt, would not speak on the record but wanted to clarify that it is her brother Bob, not Bill, who is president and CEO of Collin Street Bakery.

Crime has no time. The SMU Police Department issued a crime alert on November 5 after a student was robbed at knife-point on Hillcrest avenue when walking to her residence hall at 3:00P.M.

The student went out the north entrance of the Owen Fine Arts Center and walked between the Peyton and Shuttle halls to the sidewalk on the east side of Hillcrest Avenue. She passed the suspect and when she was by the end of the Hamon Arts Library parking lot, he reached her and asked for her purse. She refused and he got out what appeared to be a knife and cut her arm three or four times.

She described the suspect black male, between 25-35 years old, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 175 pounds, baldhead and unshaven face. He was wearing an orange jacket, blue shorts and sunglasses on his head.

As university’s authorities and members of the student body are making the effort to fight alcohol and substance abuse on campus the number of alcohol citations and overdoses keep going up.

After the first five weeks of school passed there were 11 students hospitalized with alcohol intoxication or overdose; and the SMU police department arrested 178 students for alcohol violations.

This numbers are alarming when compared to last year’s when, by the same period of time, there were 7 hospitalizations and 70 students cited by the police.

Dr. Lori White, vice president for student affairs, said to the Dallas Morning News that this issue is happening all across the country and what is happening in SMU “is typical.”

Since February 2008, after the task force on substance abuse called for a “culture shift,” the university developed several programs to prevent alcohol and substance abuse on campus.

One of these programs is “call for help.” Dr. White believes that this is the cause why the numbers of hospitalizations is going up, since most students do not hesitate to call authorities for help if they believe a friend might be suffering from alcohol intoxication.

One of the biggest issues this year is underage drinking; nine out of the 11 students hospitalized this year are freshmen.

As alcohol related violations rise on campus, the SMU student body has developed a program to prevent alcohol abuse and encourage students to act responsibly in order to promote a safe environment for social activities to take place.

Mustangs Who Care trains students about the signs of alcohol abuse and how to deal with a peer in distress. The program bases itself on the premise that students can look after each other.

By the middle September the SMU Police Department has reported 271 alcohol and substance violations and 12 hospitalizations due to alcohol intoxication.

Last year, the SMU Police reported 350 alcohol and substance violations during the whole year and 13 hospitalizations due to alcohol intoxication. Most of these violations were related with underage drinking, making this program particularly useful to The Hilltop.
In the past years, alcohol and substance abuse has been a big issue concerning all the members of the SMU community.

After President Turner appointed the Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention last year they have been focused on raising awareness to keep students attending the SMU campus safely.

Dr. Lori White, vice president for student affairs, and Patrick Kobler, student body president, came up with this idea that might contribute and put an end to this issue.

“I saw a similar program at another university, so I sent a note to Patrick and said Patrick what do you think about this? He loved the idea and really taken it and run with it,” Dr. White said.

To participate in this program, students must be TIPS trained. After a 20-minute training they will receive a wristband they are encouraged to wear at all times in order that students who are in distress be able to identify them and ask for their help.

“If you are at a party and you see a student who has a Mustangs Who Care bracelet and you are feeling that you might be in distress or your friend is in distress you know that you can go to this person and they will now what to do from that point forward,” Dr. White said.

Recently the university’s administration introduced new policies that students consider violate their rights. These policies were created after several students were taken to the hospital or close to death due to intoxication.

The Student Body developed this program in response to students’ protests against these policies. They consider this is an opportunity to show they are capable of acting responsibly without having all these restrictions.

“This is our chance as students to take the Task Force recommendations into our own hands. Once we show that we look out for each other, it is my bet that SMU PD enforcement and university regulations will begin to lessen,” said Kobler.

Mustangs Who Care is an opportunity for students to show the university administration they are capable of taking responsibility to control alcohol abuse on campus.

“I think it is a great way for students to step up and say, ‘we are part of the solution as well and we want to take responsibility,’” Dr. White said.

Kobler believes this initiative will make the SMU campus a safer place for social activities to take place.

“A simple 20 minutes of training could greatly alter our campus culture in a positive way,” he said. “The program is not designed to downgrade social fun, after all that is an important aspect of the college experience, rather it is designed to enhance social fun by ensuring an environment of safety in social settings.”

Members of the SMU community are confident this program will help control alcohol abuse on campus.

Heather Gram, a junior majoring in psychology, believes it will take some time for the program to be fully adopted by the SMU community but in the future it will greatly contribute to control alcohol abuse on campus.

She believes it will take some time for people to start trusting that the students are ready to help them but she says sooner than later people are going to feel comfortable when identifying the signs of alcohol abuse.

“I think it will help in the sense it is going to raise awareness,” she said.

Matthew Tonnemacher, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, thinks this program is going to help people that tend drunk students.

“It sounds like a good idea. Most people don’t know they are drunk or tend to think they aren’t when they are,” he said.

This program is voluntary. It started running October 1. For more information contact Patrick Kobler at pkobler@smu.edu

According to SMU crime alerts, William J.D. “Bill” Allen has a history of threats and intimidation towards SMU faculty and staff. Despite his trespass warnings, police said Allen has indicated that he might continue to come to campus.

Police reports describe him as 5’11” tall, 165 lbs., white, 39 years-old, with brown hair, and blue eyes. SMU police have urged students who see Allen or come in contact with him on campus to immediately call the SMU Police Department at 214-768-3333.

If anyone has any additional information on Allen, police have also asked to call 214-SMU-2TIP or email smu.edu/2tip.

The SMU Police Department issued a crime alert on campus Wednesday after there has been several vehicle and bicycle thefts reported on campus over the past 10 days.

These thieves are picky. The vehicles reported stolen are 2003 or 2006 Chevrolet Tahoes.

There is a possible suspect vehicle: a black Chevrolet SS Blazer with red and black rims. Its license plates and year are unknown.

Most of the vehicles were stolen around SMU Boulevard during evening hours around 6:00 and 8:00.

The bicycles were stolen at the bicycle racks of Mary Hay, Shuttles, and Cockrell McIntosh Halls, and the bicycle racks of the Owen Fine Arts Center and the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports.

The SMU Police Department encourages everyone on campus to report any crime or suspicious activity as soon as possible by calling them at 214-768-3333 or 911. If you have a vehicle, make sure to lock it and keep any valuables out of sight. If you ride a bike, secure it with a U-lock to a bicycle rack.

If you have any information regarding these crimes you can also email SMU PD at police@smu.edu.

Also, if you would like to remain anonymous you can call 214- SMU-2TIP or fill out online the silent witness form.

An SMU student was held at gun point early Friday morning by her cab driver as she was dropped off on Airline Road near Ford Stadium at around 3:30 a.m., SMU police reports said.

The student was coming from the Green Elephant bar, Friday Feb. 27 and was exiting the cab, paying the driver when he pointed a gun at her and demanded she leave all of her belongings.

The student complied and walked to her residence hall. She says she does not remember the color of cab nor the any identifying information about the driver.

SMU police asks that anyone with information concerning this matter to contact the SMU Police department at 214-768-3388. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Silent Witness Program by calling 214-SMU-2TIP or online at http://www.smu.edu/2tip.